1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool for turning keys.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous people find it difficult to turn a key in a lock. This can be because a person suffers from a lack of dexterity, e.g. because of arthritis, or because the lock itself is stiff, e.g. due to warping of the door or frame.
Most keys have a key shank which is inserted into the lock and a key head in the form of a plate which can be gripped by the fingers. The key head is not normally particularly wide which makes it difficult for some people to grip and it does not provide much mechanical advantage in tuning the key shank.
It is known to provide a key turner which is somewhat similar to a pen knife in that, instead of a blade, a key is hinged to rotate in and out of a slot in turner body, with the turner body acting as a handle to rotate the key when it is hinged out of the body. Such key turners often support two keys and are somewhat large and unsightly and are only designed for certain shapes of keys. Also, they can only be used with the keys to which they are hinged, and do not allow keys rings to be fitted to the keys to support other items.
The invention seeks to provide a tool to enable keys to be turned more easily.
People with arthritis or with a lack of dexterity in addition are likely to face a problem with operating the ring pulls on cans. Also, people who are concerned with damaging their fingernails or fake nail attachments may have difficulty with operating ring pulls. Damage, scratches or chipping is deemed as painful, problematic and costly. This is particularly true if nail attachments need to be replaced. In the cold it can be difficult for people to operate ring pulls without talking off their gloves, e.g. during winter sports. This is inconvenient.
Most modern ring pulls remain either attached to the can (soft drinks) or to the top removable face of the container (cat food or sardine can). The ring pull has a flat body that is riveted to the container and acts as a lever with the rivet acting as the fulcrum. The flat body is not normally particularly long or wide which makes it difficult for some people to apply the necessary effort. It does not provide a suitable mechanical advantage ratio between load needed to open the container and the effort input.
It is known to provide a ring pull for cans which is a steel loop that has a rod extension with a hooked end. The loop handle is large enough for all four fingers to fit through so that the hooked end extension can be located under the ring pull and levered up. Such ring pulls for cans require good coordination to locate properly on the can and are somewhat large and unsightly and are unlikely to be carried “on person”. For cans that retain the ring pull (soft drinks), they only aid part of the normal process as the device is unable to push back the opened ring pull into, for example, the drinking position. This has to be done manually.
The tool of the invention may further be adapted for opening cans by levering ring pulls. The invention has two different processes for opening the two forms of ring pull container.
The present invention provides a tool for turning keys comprising a tool body having an elongate slot adapted to removably receive the head of a key. In one embodiment the tool body has an aperture at one end carrying a key ring. The tool body may also have a second slot substantially normal to and crossing said elongate slot whereby a first point on the key ring can rotate about said aperture such that a second opposing point on the key ring can engage into said second slot with a key head carried on said opposing point also engaging said elongate slot. The second slot is spaced from the aperture by a minimum distance equal to two opposing points on the key ring and can be straight or curved or any other shape that serves its function.
For example, the slot can be configured into a hook shape so that the second slot can function as a hooked lever for opening ring pull containers where the lid needs to be peeled off. Another alteration of the slot is its modification into a bottle top opener that can lever off crimped tops on such containers as beer bottles.
The aperture for the key ring may be an elongate aperture, or a large void of any shape to decrease the units weight and material costs. The aperture may also be aesthetically pleasing for example the shape of a heart a star or an animal etc. The aperture may be located near the edge of the body, so that the key ring can easily be threaded on.
The tool may be lightweight, and approximately the same length as a deadlock key. The tool body may be a unitary construction, but might require a stronger composite construction when used for crimped bottle tops. The tool body may also be adapted for use as a lever, to aid the opening of ring pulls on cans.